Direct Primary Care, explained

A direct relationship with your doctor.

Direct primary care is a membership with your physician. One flat monthly fee covers your everyday care. No insurance middleman. No copays.

So what is direct primary care, really?

It's basically a gym membership for your health.

One flat price covers unlimited visits and same-day care, as often as you need them. Many practices fold in labs and basic procedures too.

Direct physician access

Text them. Call them. Hop on video. Members typically hear back the same day.

Unlimited office visits

Come in once a month or once a week. Doesn't matter. It's already paid for.

Same or next-day appointments

Feel awful today? You're usually seen today or tomorrow. The average wait for a new appointment elsewhere is 23 days.

In-office procedures

Stitches, shots, biopsies, EKGs. Often done on the spot, with no referral scavenger hunt.

Routine lab work

Bloodwork that can cost $200 elsewhere runs $5 to $20 here. Same tube of blood. Way smaller bill.

No surprise bills

You know the price before you walk in. No claims, no coding, no bill showing up six weeks later.

How much does DPC actually cost?

Cheaper than your phone bill.

Adults pay $50 to $150 a month. Concierge medicine charges that much again on top of your insurance. DPC doesn't add a fee. It replaces insurance for your everyday care.

Traditional Primary Care
Insurance premiums + copays
Whatever your plan and deductible allow
  • 7–12 minute visits
  • Same-day access
  • No copays
  • HSA-eligible
  • Bills insurance
  • Best for: anyone who rarely needs care
Best value
Direct Primary Care
$50–$150/mo flat
One fee. Nothing billed to anyone else.
  • 30–60 minute visits
  • Same or next-day access
  • No copays or deductibles
  • HSA-eligible (as of Jan 2026)
  • Bills insurance
  • Best for: pretty much everyone
Concierge Medicine
$200–$800/mo + insurance still billed
A premium fee stacked on top of your existing plan
  • Longer visits
  • Same-day access
  • No copays
  • HSA-eligible
  • Bills insurance too
  • Best for: people already paying for a lot
The math that matters

One ER trip costs more than a year of DPC.

ERs are for emergencies. A fever that won't quit or a knee that needs a look? Text your doctor instead.

One avoidable ER visit
$2,032
Average cost to treat a primary-care issue in the ER. About $167 for the same thing at a doctor's office.
A whole year of DPC
from $600
$50 to $150 a month. Unlimited visits and texts, plus same-day care when you need it. That's the whole year.

Skip one ER trip your doctor could've handled by text. The year's already paid for.

About two-thirds of ER visits by insured patients (18 million of 27 million a year) are conditions primary care could've handled. Source: UnitedHealth Group.

Back
Dr. Sarah Chen
Sunday 9:44 PM
hey dr chen, had a fever since yesterday. 101.4. anything i should do?
Hey! Not alarming at all.
Any shortness of breath or chest tightness?
no just super achy and wiped out
Ok good. Ibuprofen, lots of fluids. I'm around tonight if you wanna hop on a call
iMessage
You get your doctor's actual cell number

Your doctor picks up when you call.

Skip the front desk. Text your doctor, call them, or jump on a video visit.

Here's why that works. A DPC doctor typically carries around 400 patients. Conventional practices carry 2,000 or more. That extra room means 30 to 60 minute visits instead of 10. A 9pm text about a fever actually gets an answer.

Wait, do I still need insurance?

Yes, and the two do different jobs.

DPC covers primary care. Insurance still handles the big things, like a hospital stay or cancer treatment.

People usually pair it with a cheap bare-bones HDHP made for the worst case. The membership already covers everything you'd use week to week. Some members use a health care sharing plan instead, which splits large medical costs across a pool of members for less than a traditional premium.

Routine careMajor events
Sick visit
ER visit
Bloodwork
Surgery
Chronic care
Hospitalization
Minor procedure
Specialist care
DPC membership
Flat monthly fee
Health Insurance
For the big stuff
The HSA part

Pay for it with your HSA now.

As of January 2026 DPC memberships officially qualify for HSA dollars. Pre-tax, no workaround, no asterisk.

$150/mo
individual cap
$300/mo
family cap
Who's it for?

This membership has one rule. Everyone's invited.

You don't need to be sick, rich, or fed up with insurance to want this. A doctor who remembers your name and picks up the phone works for everybody.

Knows your health history

Same doctor every time. Nobody's reading your chart cold.

Understands your goals

Your doctor tracks where your health is headed, not just today's concerns.

Works with you to get there

A quick text in July gets the same attention as your annual physical.

Find a DPC doctor near you

4,078 providers across 3,075 practices in all 50 states